Bellevue, NE Landscaping Rules: Tree Trimming (2026)

Section 28-13, Overhanging Limbs and Branches, places the trimming duty on the owner or occupant of any lot, piece or parcel of ground abutting or adjacent to a sidewalk, traveled street or alley over which tree branches extend. The section sets two specific clearance heights: branches or limbs must be kept trimmed to at least eight feet above the surface of the sidewalk and at least 14 feet above the height of the street or alley. If limbs or branches extend over a sidewalk, street or alley in violation of those heights, and in a way that interferes with street lamp lighting or with the public's convenient use of the sidewalks, streets or alleys, the city administrator or a designee can order the owner or occupant by certified mail to cut, remove and properly dispose of the offending branches.

That notice must state the applicable height restrictions and give the owner or occupant three days to comply from the date the notice is received. If the work is not done within those three days, the notice also warns that the city will perform the trimming itself and charge the cost to the owner or occupant as a special assessment for improvements, the same cost-recovery mechanism chapter 28 uses elsewhere for unpaid sidewalk work. The rule sits in chapter 28's general street and sidewalk-obstruction provisions alongside neighboring sections like 28-6's ban on sidewalk obstructions and 28-14's rules on utility poles and wires in the right-of-way, reflecting the city's broader interest in keeping the pedestrian and travel space clear.